Plaxico Burress is keeping a secret about Antonio Brown.
On a recent episode of "Fair Game" with Kristine Leahy, Burress sat down for a chat, and the topic soon turned to Brown. Having played alongside Brown as a member of the Steelers during the 2012 NFL season, Burress offered some unique insight.
"Us receivers, we can be a little brash or whatever you want to call it," Burress said. "We all kind of get this stigma or whatever it may be, stereotype, that we're selfish. I don't think Antonio's selfish. I had the opportunity to play with him in 2012, 2013 back in Pittsburgh. He's the hardest-working man I've ever been around in my life. Ever.
"We would get to practice and he would be running so fast and working so hard. I'm like, 'AB, man, listen. It's just Wednesday. You need to slow down and relax.' And he's like, 'There's nothing like dominating other grown men.'"
Brown's performance and work ethic were never in question. The problem recently is that he missed the Steelers Week 17 showdown vs. the Bengals, following an incident in practice the week before the game, then skipping a scheduled MRI for a knee injury allegedly sustained the previous week in the loss to the Saints. He also ignored all calls and lines of communication from Steelers brass — including Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney II.
Burress admits that part is troubling.
"I don't know. For Mr. Rooney to come out and say that Antonio would not be in training camp is something," Burress said. "Knowing the Steelers organization and knowing the gold standard that they set, that kind of bothered me a little bit because I've never heard Mr. Rooney come out and say something like that, especially about a caliber of player like Antonio Brown. So there has to be something behind it. I would like to see him finish his career in Pittsburgh, but you just never know. The business part of it... it gets tricky sometimes."
Is trading Brown the only solution? Burress, who left Pittsburgh after his first five years in the league and won a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2007, offered his opinion.
"I think everybody needs a fresh start," Burress said. "That relationship between Antonio and the organization may have [run] its course. I'm not in the locker room but I do speak to Antonio often."
Leahy then pressed Burress to contact Brown. Text him. FaceTime him.
Burress did — and Brown actually answered. While nothing of note was conveyed during that face-to-face virtual chat, Leahy continued to press the subject and Burress dropped the bomb.
"I already know all the juice," Burress said. "I just can't give it."
What that means exactly is anybody's guess, but it sounds like Brown has made a decision and even shared it with some friends.